Health Science Careers – Certified Medical Administrative Specialist (AMT)
A Medical Administrative Specialist (MAS) is an important job in medical office, clinic and hospital settings. This multi-skilled practitioner is competent in medical records management, insurance processing, coding and billing, management of practice finances, information processing, and fundamental office management tasks. A Medical Administrative Specialist is very familiar with clinical and technical concepts required to coordinate administrative office functions in the healthcare setting. Computer skills are highly valued for this profession.
Medical Administrative Specialists work most of their time in the “front” & “back” office locations of a physician office, clinic or hospital. Some of the duties performed by a Medical Administrative Specialist include:
- Set appointment times
- Greet patients
- File and pull charts
- Handle insurance information
- Assist new patients with paperwork
- Know word processing
- Know bookkeeping
- Type medical correspondence
- Transcribe medical dictation
- Understand and know insurance coding information
- Scheduling hospital admissions
- Types case histories
- Fill out and submit insurance medical forms
- Collects and records payments
- Must know medical terminology
Certification/Licensing: Certification by a recognized organization enables Medical Administrative Specialists to be promoted faster, earn a higher pay and great respect. Employers prefer to hire experienced workers and many prefer certified applicants who have passed a national examination, indicating that the Medical Administrative Specialist meets certain standards of competence. Region III’s 2-year CMAS program meets those national standards for qualifying for the American Medical Technologist national credentialing examination upon successful graduation from the program.
The job outlook for Medical Administrative Specialists in the career of Health Information Technology is excellent. The field is expected to grow much faster than average, which means an increase in job availability. The health services industry is expected to expand because of technological advances in medicine and the aging population.
Earnings vary depending on experience, education and skill level. The median hourly wage for medical assistants and medical administrative assistants is $15.00 and higher per hour. Additional certifications in Health Information Technology can appreciate a higher than median salary for specialty work like medical transcription, coding or medical EMR scribe positions.
** Students are required to undergo a background check prior to admission into the program. **